Streets of Rage, simply put, is one of the greatest beat-em-ups of our time.
By Andy Ryle (Ryle_Boy)
Micro Review #2
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Overview
16 years on, it's easy to look back upon classic games and ask "How did I ever manage to play this?". Streets of Rage is a great game, one of the publics firm favourites, and one of my favourite BEUs. Released on the Genesis/Mega Drive, the game is a truly superb effort by Sega, and one game any gamer of the day should try out.
Gameplay
SoR offered an easy-to-understand gameplay style, side-scrolling beat-em-up. Countless enemies would come and attack you and/or your ally (who was available in Co-op). You had to frantically button-bash your way through the level, beating the living hell out of ruffians, bikers, punks and...who could forget the hookers? A boss would usually appear at the end of the level, whom you would defeat to progress through the game. The game really felt very arcadey, and it shows 16 years on. It is a truly superb game gameplay-wise. It was also increasingly hard, and remains one of the most stubborn games to crack.
Verdict - 9
Graphics
Crude compared to the likes of F.E.A.R. and Half-Life 2, but SoR displays 16-bit in it's full glory. Far from the best visuals on the Genesis, but the fun, addicting gameplay is enough. The graphics are still great-looking, though, and despite a few nags about some things, such as the model's same-model-different-color, the game looks great for the day, and some of the most memorable visuals.
Verdict - 8
Sound
The game's sound was great, just plain great. The memorable screams of the opponents when defeated, the noise of knuckle upon face, or the Sound Effects of the gun from the Police Car backup firing onto your enemies. Overall, the sound was memorable, and some of the funniest sound for the day. Again, comparaed to today's standard, it's bad, but back in the day, this was top-of-the-line stuff.
Verdict - 8
Value
Hard to find, if not impossible nowadays, but it could be probaly picked up for a couple of bucks off of eBay or amazon. Still, the game, whilst incredibly difficult for me, could be completed in a few hours. However, you'll want to play over and over again, and the co-op mode stands against todays games. Still, it was a great memory, and a must-find for the true classic gamer.
Verdict - 9
Reviewer's Tilt
SoR was one of my favourite games as my days as a child, and the frantic gameplay was some of my most memorable. This is definately my favourite beat-em-up ever, and that's an understatement. It's a magnificent game in every right, and I loved this game.
Verdict - 8
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All in all, SoR was a great game, and a lot of fun. Despite the length, one of the toughest nuts to crack on Genesis was this, and a hella lot of fun trying over and over to finish it. A great memory, and one of the most memorable games I've ever played.
Overall - 8.5 - Great